33 minutes ago, AllWingsStandyingBy said:

Though, some people have advanced the idea that the only way to have a "fair" game like X-Wing (or any game with multiple factions and options) is to have a reasonable spread of Rocks, Papers, and Scissors, and then hope that they achieve some sort of equilibrium balance out in the wild.

If this is true, though, it seems to imply any given individual match-up runs the risks of the Rock-Paper-Scissor dynamic innately advantaging/disadvantaging the two players.

Well I can't speak much to the best ways of avoiding the creation of NPE types of things. Getting a bad match up isn't necessarily a NPE other than losing being not fun. I think this is where the conflicts of opinion between whining about things, things being broken, and not accepting the consequences of your list-building or playing get created.

I think avoiding cards like "Hate" and the underlying theme of cards like it though is a good step to not creating NPE. "Hate" rather defines the "no agency" aspect. Now I don't think the card is "broken" but I do think it is a NPE. I can't get around that card except by not doing what I need to do in order to win the game. Players should not suffer disadvantage for pursuing the objective of the game.

4 hours ago, Redd9 said:

What is an N egative P lay E xperience? I keep seeing it thrown around all over the place but I haven't found a definition explicit nor can I formulate one from context clues. So far it seems to be used when a new meta list is discovered that is a solid all comers type, when someone's list is hard countered, losing, noob stomping, something about thematic lists being beaten by optimized lists, and some other minor things here and there. Its use, to me, has started coming off as "Thing(s) that I don't like" label in lieu of explanation why or how.

I believe the term originated to define a game aspect that unduly frustrated or bored the players. It has morphed to include any part of the game that a player doesn't like, and so has become pretty much useless as a term, now.

43 minutes ago, Koing907 said:

I believe the term originated to define a game aspect that unduly frustrated or bored the players. It has morphed to include any part of the game that a player doesn't like, and so has become pretty much useless as a term, now.

There are some folks who misuse the term but it is not a useless term. The "useless" aspect is bandied about more by the folks who want the sorts of things that tend to become NPEs in games doing their own crying. I've found the players most likely to whine about folks as just being salty over an NPE instead of a legit complaint tend to always be the ones playing the most abusive lists.

In MtG they were always the guys who never wanted to play the various pre-constructed decks. The guys who never just want to play for the sake of playing. They're the ones most likely to throw around "git gud" but they run for the hills at the thought of playing something other than the broken abusive list or deck.

NPEs can exist in any game too.

Magic: the Gathering: I'm playing blue, essentially I play, and you watch. No, you don't play that. No, pick that back up. No, that's mine now. No magic. #solitaireisadifferentgameyoua**

Dungeons and Dragons: Rocks fall everyone dies. I didn't get a save. I lost all my loot and progress. The DM thinks it's good story telling. FML.

*MMO game title here*: He won the arena match because he's got 100$ to drop on pay to win loot, and got the busted *xyz*. I lost because I'm so poor that dinner plans tonight included drinking Bailey's from shoe.

To conclude, Games are inherently unbalanced at some level. However the goal is that our experience and enjoyment of the game are equally greater than the unbalance when it shows through the cracks of gameplay.

Playing against Captain Feroph.

It is something noobs use that I always lose to because I always fly better.

Ban Jumpmasters and Intimidation!!!!!!!!

An expression men old enough to die for a country use when they lose in a way that isn't fun, basically.

4 hours ago, ForceSensitive said:

... drinking Bailey's from shoe...

Do you love me? Could you love me? Make an assessment.

These are some amazing and insightful responses.

Mine is much more simplistic:

"Did you have fun, want to play again?"

No. = npe

Doesn't matter about lists or winning.

It was no fun.

You want to know what NPE is, let me tell you what NPE is.

NPE is to play the random guy that picked up a meta squad off the internet but has no ability to analyze its potential and play to its strengths and have him whine throughout the game that the list your are playing is OP and his list cant beat it. Then when he get his **** whooped make vitriolic comments about the state of the game and create an account on these forums just to whine more and hopefully find moral support.

THAT's NPE my friend!

20 hours ago, Redd9 said:

What is an N egative P lay E xperience?

Another excuse.

19 hours ago, TheCeilican said:

It's a black hole filled with salt. Much like this thread is about to become.

He has become the very thing he swore to destroy.